1. Field
The following description relates to a dust collecting apparatus, and more particularly, to a dust collecting apparatus capable of compressing dust collected in a dust receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Centrifugal vacuum cleaners (or ‘cyclone cleaners’), have been widely used. These cleaners employ dust receptacles instead of disposable dust bags, and therefore address the problems of conventional vacuum cleaners, i.e., the problems of inconvenience and cost arising from frequent replacing of the dust bags. Such a cyclone cleaner may separate dust particles from a gas stream, which may be entered into the cleaner by negative pressure, using a cyclone, and collects the separated dust particles in a dust receptacle.
However, the users of the cyclone cleaners still have to empty the dust receptacles whenever the receptacles are full.
In order to address the inconvenience arising from the emptying of the dust receptacles, a new type of cyclone cleaner has been developed, which is capable of compressing collected dust and therefore providing an increased dust capacity.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section view, illustrating an example of a conventional dust collecting apparatus compressing dust, mainly disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-606794, entitled ‘Cyclone dust collecting apparatus’ (also referred to as ‘conventional apparatus’).
A conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus may include a first body 120 which separates dust particles from an air stream introduced through a first inlet 110, a first outlet 140 having a plurality of holes 141, a pressing plate 210 having a foreign substance discharging hole 211, a dust receptacle 130 formed below the pressing plate 210, a compressing portion 200 having a recovering member 230, a spring protective portion 240, and a plunger 250. The conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus may compress the foreign substances collected in the dust receptacle 130 using the pressing plate 210, thereby reducing the size of the foreign substance and increasing the dust capacity of the dust receptacle 130. Therefore, the user of the conventional dust collecting apparatus may empty the dust receptacle 130 less frequently.
However, in the conventional apparatus explained above, some foreign substances may not be removed after being separated in the first body 120. As a result, the foreign substances may accumulate on the upper surface of the pressing plate 210, resulting in deteriorated efficiency of dust separation. Furthermore, dust accumulated on the upper surface of the pressing plate 210 may flow backward through the first outlet 140, causing blockage of the holes 141. As a result, the user may need to clean the upper surface of the pressing plate 210 and the holes 141 periodically, in order to avoid dust backflow and deteriorated dust separation efficiency.
A larger foreign substance discharging hole 211 may be adapted in an attempt to reduce the amount of dust piled on the upper surface of the pressing plate 210. However, this may cause an increased amount of dust in the dust receptacle 130 to scatter in the circular air stream and flow backward through the first outlet 140. Additionally, a larger foreign substance discharging hole may result in deteriorated efficiency of dust compression by the pressing plate.